New Hope, Old Grudges Read Online Anne Malcom

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary Tags Authors: Anne Malcom Advertisement1

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I’d also discovered that he read fantasy books, dog-eared pages of paperbacks, was a fantastic cook. That he got up early every morning, even on weekends. He was a tidy person … outside the bedroom. Generous inside and outside the bedroom. He didn’t seem to have a whole lot of close friends but seemed to be well liked and respected by everyone in town. He was a good guy.

And I was in love with him.

Everything about the Brody Adams of today was utterly loveable. And the Brody Adams from years ago I’d hated? He didn’t exist anymore. And even then, he hadn’t been who I’d thought he was.

People rarely were.

I wasn’t the Willow I was back then. I wasn’t the Willow I was three months ago.

But there were decisions to be made. Yeah, life was looking up for me. I could pay for coffee and donuts. I might not have been able to pay for a whole lot more. Like an entire store. Like a relaunch.

I thought about the call I’d gotten yesterday from an old buyer from a department store with an offer. A really fucking good one.

I thought about the jewelry that I’d made this past month in my father’s forge. Nothing like the stuff that had launched my brand.

Better.

Much better.

And now I had the means to continue making it so.

I thought back to yesterday.

My mother and I were having coffee. Talking about the upcoming Christmas dinner when she’d not so slyly asked if Brody would be joining us.

I’d bitten my lip, then said I’d have to ask him. Said he might be working. I was hedging my bets, especially since my mother barely restrained a squeal of delight.

“Mom,” I warned.

She held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop. But let me just say, you’d make gorgeous babies.”

“Mom!” I shouted then.

“Subject change time,” she whispered, reaching into her purse to retrieve an envelope, sliding it across the table.

“What’s this?” I asked.

Mom shrugged. “Open it and find out.”

I opened the envelope and found a check. Addressed to me. With a really big number on it.

I gaped at my mother. “What is this?”

“This is you getting WWW back up and running. You’re designing now. It’s time.” She sipped from her coffee like it was no big deal. But I knew from her eyes it was. That it had been killing her to watch me struggle.

I blinked away tears. “Mom, I can’t accept this.”

“You can and you will,” she said firmly. “Your father was a cheap bastard. When I started making good money off the store, he started squirreling it away so I couldn’t spend it all on alpacas and yurts.”

I didn’t even mention the fact that there was both a yurt and two alpacas in our backyard.

“I have this and more,” she continued. “I’m actually quite a wealthy woman.” She beamed. “And as one, I’d like to see my daughter take over the world with her talent. And now that I see you’ve found your muse, it’s the perfect time.”

“I d-don’t know what to say,” I stuttered.

“Tiddlywinks,” my mother scoffed.

I stared at her.

“It’s a fun word to say.”

“Mom…”

“Honey, you know money is just numbers on a screen to me. My daughter’s happiness is priceless. Seeing you coming back here, knowing what you’d gone through, it stripped me down to my core. But now I see the light in you. And I want to contribute.” She nodded to the check. “That’s my small way of doing so.”

“This is not small,” I argued, tapping the check.

“Like I said, I’m a wealthy woman.”

“Are you sure?” Various emotions swirled through me as my fingers trailed over the amount that would indeed give me the opportunity to relaunch my brand.

“I’ve never been surer about anything in my life,” she patted my hand. “Well, other than my love for your father and that the FBI killed Marilyn.”

I bit back my smile. “I have a condition,” I said.

She tilted her head. “I’m not seasoned at gifting money, but I think it’s the giver who stipulates things.”

As if my mother would add strings to anything she’d given in her life.

“I want the launch of my brand and the online exclusive stockist in Colorado to be Trix.”

My mother’s eyes warmed. “I think we can do that.”

Things had moved quickly since then. Thanks, of course, to Avery. She had almost burst my eardrum with her screams when I updated her on the situation with WWW. She was already in full swing for the launch and taking over my social media. I didn’t bother to try to slow her down. I didn’t want to.

She was planning a visit to New Hope in the new year. She’d spoken to me about scouting apartments too.

Everything moved at hyper speed, and I had a whole lot to talk to Brody about. On Christmas Eve of all days. The busiest day at my mother’s store, in our household, and I was guessing for the sheriff of New Hope. I probably should’ve waited until after Christmas, at least. But I didn’t do secrets.


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